< PreviousTHE MEN’S BASKETBALL AWARDS CEREMONY, AN ANNUAL CELEBRATION OF THE PROGRAM’S HISTORY, RETURNED TO THE FINNERAN PAVILION IN 2019. 2019 AWARD WINNERS ALUMNI APPRECIATION AWARD B.J. Johnson JOE WALTERS SR. SPECIAL RECOGNITION AWARD Joe and Angie Campolo NOVA NATION AWARD Special Olympics Planning Committee CHRISTOPHER M. DINCUFF MEMORIAL AWARD Jim Murray TERESA AND JOSEPH J. MARTINI ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP IN HONOR OF RANDY FOYE Chris Montie AL SEVERANCE AWARD Tim Delaney PAUL ARIZIN AWARD Jermaine Samuels Jr. JAKE NEVIN AWARD Joe Cremo and Collin Gillespie VILLANOVA “ATTITUDE” AWARD Dhamir Cosby-Roundtree MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER Eric Paschall VILLANOVA BASKETBALL AWARD Phil Booth Alumni Appreciation Award winner B.J. Johnson Joe Walters Sr. Special Recognition Award recipients Joe and Angie Campolo Villanova President Rev. Peter M. Donohue, O.S.A. with Brandon Slater 2019 -20 MEDIA GUIDE 88 2019-20 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL VU BASKETBALL EXPERIENCE AWARDS CEREMONYAWARDS CEREMONY2019-20 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL VU BASKETBALL EXPERIENCE 8989 Jake Nevin Award winners Collin Gillespie and Joe CremoMost Outstanding Player Award winner Eric Paschall Villanova Basketball Award winner Phil BoothAlexander Severance Award winner Tim Delaney The Class of 2019 together on stage 2019 -20 M EDIA GUIDE AWARDS CEREMONYTHE COUNTDOWN TO A NEW VILLANOVA BASKETBALL SEASON BEGINS IN EARNEST EACH YEAR AT HOOPS MANIA. IN 2019, VILLANOVA WELCOMED THE RETURN OF A MUSICAL ARTIST TO CONCLUDE AN EXCITING NIGHT CELEBRATING THE NEW SEASON Musical artist Swae Lee Eric Dixon Saddiq Bey Dunk contest winner Jermaine Samuels Jr. Cole Swider helped lead his team to victory in the 3-Point shooting contest. 2019 -20 MEDIA GUIDE 90 2019-20 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL VU BASKETBALL EXPERIENCE HOOPS MANIASUMMER JAM2019-20 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL VU BASKETBALL EXPERIENCE 9191 VILLANOVA GREETED ITS BASKETBALL ALUMNI FOR A DAY OF GOLF AND KINSHIP IN JULY 2019 JayVaughn Pinkston Curtis Sumpter with James BellKyle Lowry with Phil Booth Shane Clark, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart and Frank Tchuisi 2019 -20 M EDIA GUIDE SUMMER JAMB IG E A ST ¡ B IG F IV EThrough the first six years in its config- uration of 10 outstanding and national- ly acclaimed institutions, the BIG EAST Conference has established itself as one of the nation’s exceptional Conferences and a leader in collegiate athletics. Dynamic leadership has been a staple of the BIG EAST throughout its history. The conference turned “40” on May, 29, 2019, and has always taken a proactive role on many fronts. The 2018-19 aca- demic year proved no different. The BIG EAST secured its agreement with Madison Square Garden to assure the league will play its men’s basketball tournament at the World’s Most Famous Arena for the next 10 years. The University of Connecticut, a mem- ber of the conference from 1979 to 2013, was readmitted to the BIG EAST. UCo- nn, which will begin competing in the league again in 2020-21, brings a rich history of academic and athletic excel- lence. The Huskies’ women’s basket- ball program won eight of its 11 national championships as a BIG EAST member. The men’s team won three national ti- tles under the BIG EAST umbrella and an additional crown in 2014. The BIG EAST Conference was cho- sen by USA Basketball to represent the United States at the 2019 Pan Ameri- can Games in Lima, Peru. It marked the first time a team from a single Division l conference represented the U.S. in the sport of men’s basketball in Pan Amer- ican Games competition. The team exceeded expectations by winning a bronze medal. In the arena and on the playing fields, the BIG EAST has produced 11 national champions over the past six academ- ic years. Six BIG EAST teams have captured national titles, including two in men’s basketball. BIG EAST stu- dent-athletes also have won national championships in five individual events. In the classroom, a record 67 BIG EAST athletic programs were recognized in 2018-19 by the NCAA with Public Recog- nition Awards for outstanding academic achievement in the previous academic year. By percentage, Villanova led all schools nationally for a second straight year with 77 percent of its squads re- ceiving recognition. BIG EAST schools also produced seven CoSIDA Academic All-Americans. Val Ackerman, who previously served as founding President of the WNBA, President of USA Basketball and U.S. representative to the International Bas- ketball Federation (FIBA), was named the BIG EAST’s fifth Commissioner in 2013. Under her leadership, the BIG EAST has maintained its reputation for achievement at the highest levels and has continued to be influential on the national collegiate landscape, with nu- merous conference and campus admin- istrators currently serving on important NCAA committees. Ackerman is one of the few sports executives who has held leadership positions in both men’s and women’s sports at the collegiate, pro- fessional, national team and internation- al level. In 2013, the BIG EAST began a new era by returning to its basketball-cen- tric heritage. The league’s 10 member schools—Butler University, Creighton University, DePaul University, George- town University, Marquette University, Providence College, St. John’s Universi- ty, Seton Hall University, Villanova Uni- versity, and Xavier University—adhere to an unwavering commitment to aca- demic integrity, athletic excellence and community service. In December of 2012, DePaul, George- town, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall and Villanova, announced their intention to separate from the con- ference’s FBS football-playing schools and form an independent association. The seven schools reached an agree- ment to retain the BIG EAST name and assume the conference’s long-term pact with Madison Square Garden to host the BIG EAST Men’s Basketball Tour- nament. The schools also announced the addition of three distinguished in- stitutions — Butler, Creighton and Xavi- er — and forged a landmark, long-term broadcast partnership with FOX Sports. The BIG EAST moved its headquar- ters from its original location in Prov- idence, R.I., to midtown Manhattan in New York City. The new era officially began on July 1, 2013. The BIG EAST has been lauded as a leader in innovative concepts, particu- larly television, and that reputation con- tinues with the conference’s relation- ship with FOX Sports. The BIG EAST has enjoyed a successful multi-year partnership with FOX Sports and its Saddiq Bey at the 2019 BIG EAST Tournament 2019-20 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL BIG EAST ¡ BIG FIVE 201 9 -20 M ED IA G U I D E 94 BIG EASTBIG EAST95 2019 -20 M EDIA GUIDE national cable network FS1. FOX’s com- prehensive coverage of BIG EAST men’s basketball includes the broadcast of all regular-season games on FOX, FS1, FS2 or FOX Regional Networks, as well as the BIG EAST Tournament at Madison Square Garden, college basketball’s longest-running postseason conference tourney held at the same venue. BIG EAST institutions are located in seven of the nation’s 36 largest media markets, including New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Washington, D.C., India- napolis, Milwaukee and Cincinnati. FOX Sports platforms carry complete coverage of women’s basketball reg- ular-season play and the BIG EAST Women’s Basketball Tournament. Ev- ery Olympic sport championship is also carried on a network or digital platform. The BIG EAST has also increased the visibility of its school programs with the BIG EAST Digital Network (BEDN). In 2014-15, the league became the first collegiate conference to be hosted on the FOX Sports mobile platform. For the fifth straight year, BEDN aired 225 live events with an emphasis on wom- en’s basketball, soccer and Olympic sport regular-season and champion- ship events. Founded in 1979 by Dave Gavitt, the for- mer Providence men’s basketball coach and athletic director, the BIG EAST Con- ference became a reality in May of 1979. Providence, St. John’s, Georgetown, Syracuse, Seton Hall, Connecticut and Boston College formed the original sev- en-school alliance, and the conference became an immediate national power in men’s basketball. While the compo- sition of the BIG EAST has evolved, the focus of its schools has not changed, re- flecting a tradition of emphasizing aca- demic strength and fair play. To complement its athletic successes, the conference launched BIG EAST Serves in 2014 to align with the ser- vice missions of the member institu- tions. Initiatives housed under the BIG EAST Serves umbrella, the BIG EAST Career Consortium and the national partnership with the It’s On Us cam- paign against campus sexual assaults, reflect the conference’s commitment to developing the complete BIG EAST student-athlete and making a positive contribution to campus communities and the conference’s headquarters in New York. The BIG EAST annually hosts a Well Being Forum to help provide in- stitutional personnel with information, insights and basic training so they can better support the mental and physical health of their student-athletes. The BIG EAST and Commissioner Ack- erman have taken a leadership role in Sport at the Service of Humanity, an initiative created by the Vatican’s Pon- tifical Council for Culture to focus on how sport and faith can drive positive social change. Ackerman was a dele- gate at the inaugural Vatican confer- ence and has served on an advisory committee to develop the framework and content for the initiative. The BIG EAST hosts Freshmen Funda- mentals, a unique program designed to assist men’s basketball student-athletes in the transition from high school to college and the elite level of BIG EAST basketball. The league hosts Transition Game for women’s basketball, which assists women’s basketball student-ath- letes in the transition from college play- er to emerging professional on and off the court. BIG EAST institutions boast high grad- uation rates for their student-athletes, and the league has always been able to boast that many of its best athletes are also its best students. Creighton volleyball’s Taryn Kloth and Marquette basketball’s Allazia Blockton were the conference nominees for the 2019 NCAA Woman of the Year award. The conference, which crowns cham- pions in 22 sports, had league teams earn a total of 18 NCAA team berths and 23 individual NCAA invitations in 2018-19. In men’s basketball, all 10 teams participated in the postseason for the first time in conference history. Men’s basketball teams have earned 32 NCAA invitations in six years, aver- aging 5.3 per season. Current BIG EAST men’s basketball programs have enjoyed extraordinary success. Villanova has won NCAA Championships in 2018, 2016 and 1985. Georgetown and Marquette also have won the national title. Butler, De- Paul, Providence, St. John’s and Seton Hall have all made the Final Four. The BIG EAST placed three men’s bas- ketball teams in the 1985 Final Four — Georgetown, St. John’s and Villano- va—the only time this has occurred in NCAA history. Over the past 16 years, Butler, Georgetown, Marquette and Villanova have reached the Final Four, with Villanova making three trips and Butler two. Xavier has advanced to the Elite Eight three times. The BIG EAST has achieved recent success in other sports as well. A BIG EAST team has won the NCAA wom- en’s cross country championship four of the last 10 years (Villanova twice, Providence and Georgetown once), with one runner-up finish (Provi- dence). Creighton men’s soccer has advanced to the NCAA College Cup twice in the last six seasons and Prov- idence made it in 2014. Georgetown’s women’s soccer team reached the College Cup in 2018 and 2016. As an affiliate member in field hockey, Con- necticut has won three national cham- pionships in six years. Denver, as af- filiate member in men’s lacrosse, won the NCAA crown in 2015. In the 40 years since the original league opened its doors, BIG EAST teams have won 41 national champi- onships in eight different sports with 145 student-athletes winning individu- al national titles in the league’s history. BIG EAST Commissioner Val Ackerman 2019-20 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL BIG EAST ¡ BIG FIVE BIG EASTOn Nov. 23, 1954, the administrastors at five major universities based in the Philadelphia area agreed to formulate an athletic partnership. The agree- ment created a round-robin compe- tition dubbed “The City Series” with games to be played at the Palestra, on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. The Big Five was born to begin com- petition in the 1955-56 season. In the decades since, it has been a signature part of the college basket- ball experience in Philadelphia with a profile that extends far beyond the Delaware Valley. The Big Five games are now played at campus venues as well as the Palestra. Villanova finished its 2018-19 season with a 3-1 mark in the City Series. A 25-game winning streak in Big Five play - the longest in the annals of the alliance - came to an end at the Pal- estra on Dec. 11, when Penn knocked off Villanova. ALEX BRADLEY (1977-81) Inducted 1987 CHRIS FORD (1969-72) Inducted 1977 RANDY FOYE (2002-06) Inducted 2016 STEWART GRANGER (1979-83) Inducted 1990 KEITH HERRON (1974-78) Inducted 1984 JIM HUGGARD (1958-61) Inducted 1978 TOM INGELSBY (1969-73) Inducted 1979 HAROLD JENSEN (1983-87) Inducted 1995 JOHNNY JONES (1965-69) Inducted 1981 WALI JONES (1961-64) Inducted 1973 KERRY KITTLES (1992-96) Inducted 2011 JACK KRAFT (COACH) Inducted 1987 JASON LAWSON (1993-97) Inducted 2004 ROLLIE MASSIMINO (COACH) Inducted 2010 DWAYNE MCCLAIN (1981-85) Inducted 1993 BILL MELCHIONNI (1963-66) Inducted 1974 MIKE NARDI (2003-07) Inducted 2019 JAKE NEVIN (TRAINER) Inducted 1985 ED PINCKNEY (1981-85) Inducted 1991 JOHN PINONE (1979-83) Inducted 1989 HOWARD PORTER (1967-71) Inducted 1981 HAROLD PRESSLEY (1982-86) Inducted 1992 GEORGE RAVELING (1956-60) Inducted 2016 JOE RYAN (1956-59) Inducted 1991 AL SEVERANCE (COACH) Inducted 1994 HANK SIEMIOTKOWSKI (1968-72) Inducted 1988 RORY SPARROW (1976-80) Inducted 1986 CURTIS SUMPTER (2002-07) Inducted 2018 JIM WASHINGTON (1962-65) Inducted 1975 DOUG WEST (1985-89) Inducted 1996 HUBIE WHITE (1959-62) Inducted 1976 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL IN THE BIG FIVE HALL OF FAME 2018-19 BIG FIVE STANDINGS 201 9 -20 M ED IA G U I D E 96 BIG EAST ¡ BIG FIVE PHILADELPHIA BIG FIVE 2019-20 VILLANOVA BASKETBALL W-L ALL-TIME RECORD TITLES 1. Penn 4-0 86-146 14 2. Villanova 3-1 151-89 26 3. Temple 2-2 141-99 28 4. La Salle 1-3 95-141 11 5. Saint Joseph’s 0-4 127-111 20 AWARD WINNERS PLAYER OF THE YEAR Phil Booth, Villanova ROOKIE OF THE YEAR Saddiq Bey, Villanova COACH OF THE YEAR Fran Dunphy, Temple MOST IMPROVED PLAYER Nate Pierre-Louis, Temple SCHOLAR ATHLETE OF THE YEAR De’Vondre Perry, Temple (Sophomore Forward) LEADING SCORER Shizz Alston, Jr., Temple (Senior Guard) LEADING FREE THROW SHOOTER Shizz Alston, Jr., Temple (Senior Guard) ALL-BIG 5 FIRST TEAM Shizz Alston, Jr., Temple Phil Booth, Villanova A.J. Brodeur, Penn Charlie Brown, Jr., Saint Joseph’s Eric Paschall, Villanova ALL-BIG 5 SECOND TEAM Collin Gillespie, Villanova Devon Goodman, Penn Lamarr Kimble, Saint Joseph’s Nate Pierre-Louis, Temple Pookie Powell, La Salle Quinton Rose, Temple Phil BoothY EA R IN R EVI EWNext >